St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-05-12


the "latter rains" fall in the spring
this operation is repeated. Then by
harrows and similar implements the
ground is thoroughly pulverized and
smoothed as handsomely as any gar
den ever seen in Vermont. This work
is repeated and kept up till some time
in May when the dry season comes on
and weeds cease to grow. To see an
orchard of fifty or one hundred acres
in one solid body of trees such as
have described, symmetrical, uniform.
set in perfect lines, and the ground
without weed or blade of grass in
sight, is something to delight the eye
of one brought up on crab apples and
Canada plums.
When one considers that 25 years
ago the products of California were
mainly wheat and wool that now the
little Vaca valley alone shipped one
thousand carloads of fruit in 80; rails
ed grapes one bunch of which weighed
twenty eight pounds, and navel Orang-
es, a whole box of which measured
fourteen inches in circumference apiece;
and that this is a good sample of a
large part of the state-One is amazed
and can scarcely blame the Californian
for having such vivid imagination
that his stories sound like rOmances.
Four miles up this valley from Ell
mira, on a branch railroad from the
Central Pacific, is the village of Vaca-
vile. It's business is intimately con-
nected with the Embarrassing of the
valley.
From ten to fifteen carloads of fruit
are shipped daily from this point
through the fruit season. The village
itself is surrounded with orchards and
vineyards. There are several church
organizations, an academy, a large
school building, and an outspoken and
aggressive temperance newspaper--The
Reporter which is doing a good work
here. 1t is at this place that Rev. Hen
~ w. Jones is located, for ten years
pastor of the North church, st. Johns
bury. In this salubrious climate he
has found improved health and an
abundant field for pastoral work. He
is also an important factor and leader
in the literary and musical organiza-
tiOns of the place, and in everything
that looks toward public Improvement.
He has built pleasant cottage on an
eminence a few minutes walk from
church and post office, where he has
an elegant view not only of this valley
but the Sacramento plains beyond and
the snOw-capped Sierras, more than a
hundred miles away. On the west are
the green foothills and coast range of
mountains, clear cut, which seem much
nearer than they are.
The Congregational church has about
forty members and they have lately
secured building which makes II
pleasant and attractive audience room.
Outside of church work the influence
of the pastor and family is educating
and helpful, and appreciated by all do
nominations and classes. In his Sab
bath congregation is found a former
st. Johnsbury resident-formerly Miss
Belle Tower, now Mrs. Robert Duff
who with her husband and two daugh-
ters live in Mr.. Jones' parish. Mr..
Duff owns a nice little fruit ranch two
miles up the valley.
The next day after leaving the Vaca
valley, in company with some well
known st. Johnsbury people, we visit
ed famous ranch and property known
as the Natoma Water and Mining Co.,
in which Charles Webb Howard, Esq,
of San Francisco is the largest owner.
This ranch is situated on the American
river, about eighteen miles north least
of Sacramento. 1t is one of those mod
est little California farms that one
"reads about" there being about eight
thousand six hundred acres fenced in
to this tract.
What most interested the writer i'm
this farm was the vastness of the vine
yard-fifteen hundred acres being put
out to grapes alone. 1t would give a
Vermont farmer tired sort of feeling
to see rows to hoe two miles long. But
the cultivation of these vineyards is
wholly by machinery, and the old say
ing che who by the pillow would thrive
must either hold the pillow or drive" is
improved upon here, as the same man
holds and drives and rides also. In
short the gang plOws and cultivatOrs
all have seats for the driver, and to
each one of these implements is at
tached four good horses. Fifteen or
twenty such teams will cultivate large |
tracts of land daily where there is
neither stump nor stone to impede
progress. Everything on this ranch
is reduced to fine system. Superin
tendent Schussler pointed out forty
acre plot of vines from which the gross
income last year was S., 400, with only
800 out for expenses. This of course
was an extra lot of vines.
Besides the vineyard there are $50
acres in choice fruit trees from which
there is good income. The remain
der of this tract of land is in grain,
grazing and mining lands. Some may
not know that placer mining is still
on the banks of the Ameri-
Fan river where the first gOld-digging
was done in '49. The same company